Columbia County Observer

Florida Workers Over 40 Will Depend On Social Security

(Posted July 18, 2011  06:15 am)

By Les Coleman

TALLAHASSEE, FL - A majority of Florida's workers age 40 and older claim they will depend on Social Security when they retire, according to a recent survey.

The poll released by the National Committee to Preserve Social Security Foundation found that 52 percent of those workers expect Social Security to be their primary source of income.

Dr. Nancy Rudner-Lugo, president of Health Action, a Florida health and social services consultant firm, says continued political meddling with Social Security will assure that today's workers will face severe poverty in the future.

"Both parties need to come to the table and work out a solution, and really hands-off Social Security and Medicare. That's not where the big dollars are. You can't cut people to the bone."

Politicians keep putting Social Security on the budget-cutting block for good reason, Lugo says.

"The reason they want to go after Social Security is because it is solvent. That's where the money is. It's been a well-run program."

Without a resolution of the debt-ceiling issue by Aug. 2, President Obama said recently, those on Social Security now may not get their payments on time. 

Comments  (to add a comment go here)

On July 18, Ron Buchner of Lake City wrote:

Obama is trying to scare the seniors about social security just so he can get his way in the debt ceiling talks. He not only doesn't want to slow spending, he wants to increase it even more.

The truth is, the federal government takes in enough money each month to pay social security, medicare, medicaid, military pay along with the pentagon budget, and the nations debt costs. I know it would be tough on alot of people if the gov't had to stop spending on everything except those items, but if they don't, it will be the end of our economy as we know it.

The American people have to live within their budgets and so should our gov't.We truly need a balanced budget amendment now, to be gradually worked in over 5 years, before it's to late. Congress needs to pass legislation now to prioritize payments if there is no resolution on the debt limit. They should also pass legislation to properly fund social security so it is solvent into the future and then keep their fingers out of the funds.

The general fund has borrowed over 6 trillion dollars from the social security fund, and they need to leave it alone. Everyone would gladly pay more to properly fund social security, they just don't want to pay more in taxes for the federal gov't to waste on foolish projects.        Ron Buchner